January-June suicide tally at 14,192

The number of suicides across the nation from January to June fell slightly to 14,192, the National Police Agency said in a preliminary report Tuesday.

The figure was 102 fewer than in the first half of 2012, when the annual number of suicides fell below 30,000 for the first time in 15 years.

In the first half of this year, suicides among males came to 9,901, accounting for 69.8 percent of the total.

The number of suicides grew in January year on year, but the number in February and later dropped and hit the lowest level in five years.

By prefecture, suicides rose 28.4 percent to 104 in Kagawa, 25.3 percent to 272 in Kyoto and 20.3 percent to 219 in Kagoshima.

The Cabinet Office said that of the 11,893 suicides from January to May, the rate was down for people under 70 years old but rose 6.9 percent to 1,513 for those in their 70s and 4.9 percent to 917 for those aged 80 or older.